SB Nation Mock Draft: Seahawks select Johnny Newton at No. 16

SB Nation Mock Draft: Seahawks select Johnny Newton at No. 16

It’s that time of year again! The SB Nation’s NFL writers’ mock draft is in full force.

Historically, I’ve made my mock picks based on a mixture of what I believe the Seattle Seahawks front office will do, along with some of what I’d like to see. Over the past few seasons I’ve… actually, let’s not go through them. I think that Jonathan Greenard pick is my best work, but everything else is not pretty. I’m glad Seattle didn’t doomsday pick Trevor Penning like I thought they would, and I have every regret about the Desmond Ridder selection. This year I’m leaning a little more towards personal preference.

To keep you up to speed: Every quarterback with a first or second-round grade was already drafted (yes, even Bo Nix), and Troy Fautanu went to the New Orleans Saints at No. 14. Graham Barton was a tempting option given his versatility across the offensive line, but it’d seem counter to John Schneider’s own belief that guards are “overdrafted and overpaid” to take one in the top-half of the first round. I don’t believe he’s bluffing on that front. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Seahawks at -150 to take an offensive lineman, for what it’s worth.

I would prefer trade down from No. 16 and find a way to get a second-round pick, but I totally spaced out and forgot that trades were allowed in this year’s mock. My belief is that the Seahawks are going to invest in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball, and my preference is for Illinois’ Jer’Zhan ‘Johnny’ Newton over Texas’ Byron Murphy II. Again, I’d rather take either one of them below No. 16 in a trade down, but it’s my fault for falling asleep at the wheel, and I’m not going to be apoplectic if that’s what Seattle decides at No. 16.

Newton’s measurables

Height: 6’2

Weight: 304 lbs

Hand size: 9 1/2”

Arm length: 32 3/8”

Wingspan: 75 7/8”

Key Stats and Accolades

• 17.5 sacks over four seasons (7.5 as a senior)
• 187 tackles (28 tackles for loss)
• 2 forced fumbles
• 5 passes defensed
• 4 blocked kicks (two field goals, two PATs)
• 0 missed games
• 103 combined pressures from 2022-2023
• Consensus All-American in 2023
• Two-time first-team All-Big Ten

Has he met with the Seahawks?

Newton met with the Seahawks at the NFL combine, but did not participate in drills. There has been no reported official 30 visit with Seattle.

Why the Seahawks would draft Johnny Newton

It’s time the Seahawks drafted a blue-chip defensive tackle again. There is a clear shift among NFL teams to invest in the interior of the trenches, hence the massive contracts awarded to defensive tackles and offensive guards this offseason.

In terms of athleticism, Newton is not as athletic as Texas’ Murphy, but he is a damn good football player who has the potential to be an elite defensive lineman. Here is The Athletic’s Dane Brugler in his scouting report summary:

A three-year starter at Illinois, Newton played all over the defensive line but primarily over the B-gap in defensive coordinator Aaron Henry’s hybrid fronts. He put together an impressive resume with back-to-back All-America seasons in 2022 and 2023, combining for 103 pressures (the most by any FBS interior defensive lineman in that span). With his twitchy get-off and sense of urgency, Newton creates immediate vertical push and wins early, versus both pass and run, often forcing quarterbacks to speed up their internal clock. Although he can be engulfed at times, especially in the run game, his use of leverage and violent shed tactics help him remain a factor, including various snatch/pull techniques to use the weight of blockers against them (NFL scout: “You have to ignore the measurables and focus on the football player, because he’s a good one.”). Overall, Newton’s undersized, compact frame will be a turn-off for some teams, but he is tough to block one-on-one, because of his gap quickness, natural power and nose for the ball. He projects as a dependable starting three-technique in the NFL.

Newton also has versatility to play multiple positions along the defensive line. In a 3-4 defense he could line up as a big 5-tech (outside shoulder of the tackle), 4i (inside shoulder of the tackle), and he even lined up at 0-tech (nose tackle over the center) at times in sub-packages. He projects as a 3-tech (outside shoulder of the guard) defensive tackle, which is usually a 4-3 base defense. Mike Macdonald’s defense is a 3-4 base but the Ravens led the NFL in nickel formation in 2023, which would mean Newton most likely is lining up at 3T a majority of the time anyway.

It’s also worth noting that Newton averaged 62 snaps per game in his senior season, so his gas tank should be an issue in terms of becoming a three-down lineman.

What he needs to improve

This is almost certainly going to be an instant turnoff for some Seahawks fans given the past couple of years, but Newton’s relentless pursuit and effort also puts him in spots where he’s missing tackles. PFF says he missed 12 tackles in 2023, which is interesting because he only missed 5 the preceding season at a much lower missed tackle rate. This is where Newton not having Murphy’s athleticism can be a drawback. I think I can live with missed tackles if there are others there for mop-up duty, but if you’ve started the job I’d prefer you also finish it.

There are also worries about how Newton could handle (or get handled by, I suppose) longer-armed offensive lineman at an NFL level, as his wingspan is on the lower end among defensive tackles.

Regardless of who the Seahawks take, there is no perfect prospect even among future Canton-bound superstars. There are going to be weaknesses that persist at the professional level and other weaknesses that are cleaned up with practice and great coaching. It’s all a matter of whether the strengths translate from college to the NFL such that they heavily outweigh the weaknesses.

How would this impact the current Seahawks roster?

In the short-term, the Seahawks have Dre’Mont Jones and Leonard Williams raking in a ton of money. Jarran Reed and Johnathan Hankins would be the primary nose tackles, with Cameron Young in reserve. Myles Adams and Matt Gotel will probably be competing for roster spots. Mike Morris is a wild card given he missed almost all of his rookie season.

Having Newton, Jones, Williams, Morris, Reed, and Hankins should provide the Seahawks with much better interior depth than we’ve seen in years past. Jones spent the back-end of last season on the edge after Uchenna Nwosu’s injury, and perhaps the Seahawks could keep him there primarily and kick him back inside when necessary… or they could trade him post-June 1 and save $11.5 million in cap space. I’m not completely ruling that out.

Reed is in the final year of his contract and while I could see him being a surprise cap cut in preseason, he outperformed his deal last year and may stick to his NT role this season. Hankins would be the bigger body as a run-stuffing NT.

Newton and ‘Big Cat’ could wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks, and Newton may finally be the long-term star the Seahawks have been looking for at interior defensive line. As much as I want to believe Seattle’s defensive roster will just magically get better because the previous coaching staff was inadequate, having young, cost-effective high-end talent still matters, and Seattle is still at a talent deficit compared to the rest of the league. Newton is damn talented and I’d like to see him in a Seahawks uniform.

Highlights